This document provides key facts about childhood burns in Canada for children ages 0-5 as part of an early childhood burn prevention program. It states that burns are the third leading cause of injury-related hospital admissions for young children, with over 1000 children admitted to hospitals each year for burns and scalds. It also notes that most pediatric scalds occur at home from hot drinks and hot surfaces, and that a hot drink comfortable for drinking can cause a serious scald to a child in 10 seconds. Common causes of childhood burns are identified as hot drinks, hot water, and hot surfaces.

1. Early Childhood Burn
Prevention Program -
Ages 0-5 Years
Too Hot
for Tots!
IT ONLY TAKES A SECOND TO CHANGE A LIFE FOREVER
KEY FACTS ABOUT CHILDHOOD BURNS IN CANADA:
0-4 1000+
IN CANADA, FIRE AND BURN RELATED
INJURIES ARE THE 3RD
LEADING CAUSE OF
INJURY-RELATED HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
FOR CHILDREN 0-4 YEARS OF AGE.1
CHILDREN ARE ADMITTED TO
HOSPITAL EACHYEAR WITH BURNS
AND SCALDS, WHILE THOUSANDS
MOREARETREATEDASOUTPATIENTS.2
CHILDREN WHO ARE BURNED REQUIRE MORE
MEDICAL CARE THAN ANY OTHER CHILDHOOD INJURY.3
$17,200 70%
HOSPITAL COST TO
TREAT A TYPICAL
CHILDHOOD SCALD.4
OF CANADIAN PARENTS DON’T KNOW SCALDS
FROM HOT DRINKS AND HOTTAPWATER ARE THE
CAUSE OF MOST BURNS TO YOUNG CHILDREN.5
MOST PEDIATRIC SCALDS
OCCUR IN THE HOME
FROM HOT DRINKS AND
HOT FOOD.6
ADULTS WHO SUFFER
BURNS AS CHILDREN HAVE
MUCH HIGHER RATES OF
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL
ILLNESS.7
COMMON CAUSES OF CHILDHOOD BURNS:
REFERENCES:
A HOT DRINK, THAT
IS COMFORTABLE TO
DRINK, CAN CAUSE A
SERIOUS SCALD TO A
CHILD IN 10 SEC.
8,9
HOT TAP WATER AT 600C (1400F),
THE TYPICAL FACTORY SETTING
FOR HOT WATER TANKS, WILL
CAUSE A SERIOUS BURN IN
LESS THAN A SECOND.
10
GLASS FRONTED FIREPLACES HEAT
UP TO 2000C (4000F) IN 6 MINUTES
AND TAKE 45 MINUTES TO COOL
TO A SAFE TEMPERATURE. AT THIS
TEMPERATURE, A SERIOUS BURN
WILL HAPPEN ON CONTACT.
11
H
OTDRINK
S
H
OTWATER
H
OTSURFAC
ES
For more information about theToo Hot
forTots! program, visit www.burnfund.org
1. Public Health Agency of Canada analysis of 2010/11 hospitalization data from the
Canadian Institute for Health Information.
2. Anneliese Spinks, PhD, Jason Wasiak, MPH, Heather Cleland, MBBS, FRACS,
Nicole Beben, MA, Alison K. Macpherson,PhD. “Ten Year Epidemiological Study
of Pediatric Burns in Canada” J burn Care Res 2008;29:482-488.
3. Public Health Agency of Canada, Surveillance and Epidemiology Division. Emergency
department presentations and admissions for burns, Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting
and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), 2000/01 to 2010/11, patients aged 0-5 years.
4. C Malic, C Verchere, JS Arneja.“Inpatient silver sulphadiazine versus outpatient nanocrystalline
silver models of care for pediatric scald burns: A value analysis”. Plast Surg 2014; 22(2):99-102.
5. Safe KIDS Canada. “Majority of Canadian Parents Don’t Know Biggest Burn Hazards.” Safe
Kids Week media release 2001 www.safekidscanada,ca/ENGLISH/Media/mediarelease_sk
week2001.html
6. Public Health Agency of Canada. “Emergency Department Surveillance of Paediatric Burn
Injuries.” Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Program database, 1990-2008
data years.
7. James Stone, BCc(Hons)*,Justin P. Gawaziuk, MSc, Sazzadul Khan, PhD, Dan chateau, PhD,
James M. Bolton, MD, Jitender Sareen, MD, Jessica Enns, BSc, Malcolm Doupe, PhD, Marni
Brownell, PhD and Sarvesh Logsetty, MD. “Outcomes in Adult Survivors of Childhood Burn
Injuries as Compared with Matched Controls” J Burn Care Res 2015; xxx: 00-00).
8. Mortiz, Henriqures.. “Time/temperature interaction associated with scald burns”,
The American Journal of Pathology,1947; 23:695-720.
9. American Burn Association. ©2007. Advanced Burn Life Support Course-Provider Manual, 68.
10. Feldman KW. “Help needed on hot water burns”. Pediatrics 1983;71:145-6.
11. Becker L1
, Cartotto R. ”The gas fireplace: a new burn hazard in the home”.
J Burn Care Rehabil.1999 Jan-Feb;20(1 Pt 1):86-9; discussion 85..